Collection Development

It is the duty of the Team Lead of Special Collections and the Dean of the Library
to seek out, consider, and accept items for inclusion in our holdings. Items falling
into the scope of the collections areas defined below will be given serious consideration,
and items outside the scope will be considered on an individual basis, with such considerations
as to its relevance to the University's curriculum, conditions or stipulations imposed
by the donor, overall condition and preservation needs, and whether it would be better
housed in another repository.

Special Collections acquires items and collections primarily through donations. The
purchase of items is considered on an individual basis as items and funds become available.

Collection Areas

Items accepted and housed in Special Collections should fall into one of our four
categories:

University ArchivesWe acquire university records and publications with long-term historical, legal, fiscal
and administrative value. Additionally, we collect scholarship and creative works
authored by the university's academic community.

Manuscripts and Personal PapersWe collect manuscripts and personal papers related to Chattanooga, the state of Tennessee,
and the South.

Rare BooksWe acquire books related to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the South. Monographs that
support teaching and learning at the university may also be considered. Fragile, rare,
irreplaceable, and valuable books will be added to the collection at our discretion.

Archives of the Fellowship of Southern WritersWe attempt to acquire copies of books written by members of the Fellowship and collect
records from the biennial meetings of the group.

Loans

Items and collections with are loaned to Special Collections must have a clear date
and time to which they are returned to the lender or become property of the university.

Other Considerations

Special Collections considers the following regarding donations and acquisitions:

materials which present a financial drain to to conservation or preservation needs;

items which Special Collections is unable or unqualified to properly house and preserve;

donations with conditions, stipulations, or legal encumbrances which make their access
and use too restrictive or impractical;

and duplicate materials already housed in Special Collections or other local repositories.

Day classes are cancelled, campus closed until 5 p.m. on Aug. 21

Although it was previously announced that all classes would be cancelled on Aug. 21, classes that begin at or after 5 p.m. will now be held. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience.

Aug. 21, will be a historic day. Chattanooga will experience a 90 percent solar eclipse. To allow faculty, staff and students to safely participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event, day classes will be cancelled on Aug. 21, and UTC will be closed until 5 p.m., when night classes begin.